Spew

Eating out Christmas Day

JENNIFER JOHNSON: HO HO HO I’D LIKE SOME MO’ >>>

And the stockings were hung by the Christmas with care … we all know the rest of this story and how everyone just loves what follows on Christmas Day. Giggling and unwrapping presents turns into a steady all-day gastro consumption parade of pancakes, eggs, sausage, candy, waffles, carrot and celery sticks, early ham dinner, fudge, mashed potatoes, pie, green beans, rolls, peanut brittle.

What if you’re family isn’t near or isn’t dear (hey, it happens)? You still gotta eat.

Doyle’s Public House in the Stadium District has an inviting Irish theme going, full bar, flat screens for sports fans and above average pub fare: the plow man’s platter has fresh fruit, olives, veggies, meats, cheeses and great dark bread.  

C.I Shenanigans on Ruston Way will have a holiday buffet that will boggle the mind and act as a good substitute for the gastro consumption parade mentioned earlier.

Both locations are open on Christmas Day. Doyle’s is for adults only; C.I Shenanigans is family friendly.

What other restaurants are open Christmas Day? Anyone?

[Doyle’s Public House, 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.7468]
[C.I Shenanigans, 3017 Ruston Way, Tacoma, 253.752.8811]

Been to the Bean?

JENNIFER JOHNSON: WARM UP AT THE VANILLA BEAN CAFE >>>

A cheery red wall draws the eye while a bank of stools offers a peaceful sun-warmed perch, perfect for people-watching from the front window of newly arrived Vanilla Bean Café on St. Helens Avenue. Owners Rick and Tobe Collier are not new to the roasted bean game, having operated on Puyallup’s Waller Road before relocating to downtown Tacoma and opening Dec. 1. Like a hermit crab, Vanilla Bean now occupies one of the former homes of Black Water Café.

I stopped in Saturday to smell the air, and yep, that’s the inviting aroma of good coffee.

Vanilla Bean is supplied pastries by Upper Crust and serves hearty soups on weekdays — hot tomato, creamy potato and Ivar’s clam chowder. The barista working shared that more tasty nibbles “possibly from Corina Bakery will be added in the near future, since we only just opened.”

Hot and cold teas, juices, sodas, and hot cocoa are also available.

Open Monday through Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

[Vanilla Bean Café, 743 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma]

Soul food inside Hilltop nightclub

JENNIFER JOHNSON: HECKLE AND JECKLE’S CHICKEN SHACK >>>

Sister to the original Bremerton location, Heckle and Jeckle’s Chicken Shack opened Oct. 1 inside the Caballeros Club, which anchors a dead end Tacoma Hilltop street. Heckle and Jeckle’s, a soul food restaurant, is open even when the nightclub isn't pulsating music.

Heckle and Jeckle’s menu swells with Southern cookin’ favorites such as hickory smoked barbeque ribs, brisket, seasoned pork chops, snapper, catfish and prawns, cornbread, collard greens, red beans and rice and macaroni and cheese. Most are made from scratch — like Sunday dinner at mama’s house.

Guilty pleasures include tangy sweet and tart blackberry lemonade topped with whipped cream made by co-owner Tonita “LuLu” Naylor. Along with her sister Nanette Lewis they cook up a storm, and are quietly gaining a loyal customer base thanks to quality ingredients and creative recipes.

Check out LuLu’s sweet potato puffs and her hot lick on a stick — similar to a corn dog it’s a spicy sausage hand dipped and deep-fried.

Heckle and Jeckle’s is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday and 9 p.m. Saturday.

[Heckle and Jeckle’s Chicken Shack, 1516 S. 28th St., Tacoma 253.573.1778]

The smell of success

JENNIFER JOHNSON: POPPY SEED CAFE CHANGES OWNERSHIP >>>

The Poppy Seed Cafe — a sunny, one room café in Fircrest — feels warm and inviting. Mouthwatering aromas of coffee, hot chocolate, waffles and hash browns permeate the air. Ahhhh.

Visibly, you wouldn’t know original owners Darin and Shelly Adams had recently sold the cafe to Nicole Rowsey and Arsenio Harris. Last Saturday at noon, for example, saw the small café at 95 percent capacity — the ownership transition must be going well. 

The breakfast and lunch menu features enticing scrambles, Belgian waffles, biscuits and gravy, homemade salads, soups, panini sandwiches and more. My lovely vanilla hint Belgian waffle was lightly crisp outside but deliciously soft inside. Chicken fried steak is a tour de force. Poppy Seed’s uses light, crisp breading that complements the classic dish rather than masking flavorful meat. Thick and chunky sausage gravy was plentiful without being a drowning pool.  Hash browns and cubed potatoes were lightly fried — no soggy grease mess here. Scrambles were full of fresh ingredients — sundried tomatoes, spinach, artichoke, and onions.

Plus: Service was prompt, the food hot and good, and prices were fair. Starting Nov. 8 the Poppy Seed Café will be open seven days a week.

Minus: Coffee was extraordinarily hot, but is that really a minus?

[The Poppy Seed Café, 616 Regents Blvd., Fircrest, 253.460.4101]

LINK: Previously on Spew

Sweet Things

JENNIFER JOHNSON: PROCTOR SLICE OF HEAVEN >>>

Cross my heart and hope to die. There wasn’t one thing there I wouldn’t try. 

Stepping through Sweet Things Cupcakes and Couture’s dreamy, high-ceiling I quickly discovered it’s more than a bakery. Cup of coffee in hand, I strolled past tables of hats, handbags, gads of jewelry, gemmed-up hoodies and more couture.

But the aroma yanked me back to the cupcakes.

Gorgeous cupcakes displayed at eye-level are mini mountains of delight topped with swirled ribbons of edible clouds.

Like someone yelling, “Boo!” I was surprised that a few were on the dry side — but that’s being nitpicky.

German chocolate was startlingly good, chai spice exceptionally light, moist and delicate while the ambrosia seemed more like walnut carrot cake topped with coconut creme, but was still mighty fine.

Co-owner Patti Frank promises croissants, bear claws and more will soon be available at breakfast.

Plus: Everything is made from scratch on premises with freshly baked batches every 20 minutes.

Minus: No indoor seating.

[Sweet Things Cupcakes and Couture, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 2510 N. Proctor, Tacoma, 253.508.0709]

Maxwell's updates menu

JENNIFER JOHNSON: THE TACOMA RESTAURANT JOINS THE NEW FALL MENU CLUB >>>

As the leaves fall and the weather changes, so do our cravings and the seasonal availability of produce. As soon as the scent of fireplaces permeates crisp air my desire for roots vegetables, grains and squashes goes through the roof.

Maxwell’s Speakeasy & Lounge has an updated menu for fall, featuring such comfort food as warm breads with blue cheese butter, a braised pork belly soup ala pozole, grilled lamb porterhouse chops, and roasted split chicken (crispy skin outside, ultra tender inside — amazing seasoning).

House made fettuccini, French Puy lentils, roasted butternut squash, warm bacon sauce, celery root gratin, and Pinot Noir mushrooms sauce all play an important role in Maxwell’s updated menu.

Roasted parsnip bisque is a delightfully complex soup starring trout smoked in house. A rich brown butter swirl is sprinkled with marcona almonds and fennel sea salt.

Sadly the polenta was replaced with olive oil poached Yukon mashed potatoes — luckily they’re like a favorite coat you forgot you had.

The best news: The Walker Burger hasn’t gone anywhere — and why would it with its amazing white cheddar, mmm mmm salty bacon, grilled onion aioli, and arugula.

[Maxwell’s Speakeasy & Lounge, 454 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma 253.683.4115]

1022 South — the food

JENNIFER JOHNSON: SAMPLING OFF THE LOUNGE'S NEW MENU >>>

The Monsoon Room was known for handmade cocktails that utilized fresh ingredients and creative drink recipes. Lounge 1022 South, now open in the same location for seven months, has raised the bar in Tacoma’s cocktail department. Beverages are crafted from scratch using a large array of well-known and obscure spirits, liquors, liqueurs, aperitifs, and elixirs.

After removing all traces of tiki, adding soaring shelving to complete the back bar, a shift in the color scheme and seating arrangements, the only thing left for general manager Chris Langston to deftly handle was the query of — “What is there to eat?”

Last night two companions and I posed just that question over cocktails. We were treated to Langston’s new menu of light victuals, as his well-thought out selection of appetizers, snacks and small plates are so charmingly labeled.

We started with six half-dollar size crostini loaded with goat cheese drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and a slight bit of Yakima smoked sea salt. The crostini was wonderful and toasted perfectly. No one will suffer from Scraped Roof-of-the-mouth Syndrome.

New kid in town

JENNIFER JOHNSON: NEW BREAKFAST AND LUNCH SPOT IN TACOMA >>>

Downtown’s newest addition opened mid-September and seems headed in the right direction with quickly prepared, fairly priced, affordable fare. Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Penuel Café focuses on breakfast and lunch.

The menu tops out at $8: breakfast runs $3.50-$4.99, sandwiches $5.50-$5.99, salads $4.99-$7.99.

Order a crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside cook-to-order waffle of the Belgian variety ($3.50). It’ll liven up a standard bagel/muffin morning.

Stuffed spinach or sun-dried tomato breakfast wraps are offered as well as cinnamon rolls, cookies, espresso, teas and canned and bottled soda and juice. 

Soups, salads and sandwiches full of fresh ingredients have lunch handled.

Looking for something heartier? Sausage, hot dog and bratwurst are cooked to order on an outdoor grill and are offered solo or on toasted roll.

Plus: breakfast is served all day.

Minus: very sparsely decorated, cafe ambiance is non-existent. Take-out might be your best bet.

[Penuel Café, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, 744 Market St., Tacoma, 253.640.5470]

El Toro lunch buffet

JENNIFER JOHNSON: WORTH THE DRIVE >>>

With plenty of lunchtime options in Tacoma’s downtown core, only one thing gets me to drive out to the end of Pacific Highway Southwest across from McChord Air Force Base — El Toro’s lunch buffet (which is only served at this location). A quick 14 minute drive from downtown makes the buffet totally worth it.

Moist seasoned chicken breast, shredded pork, good ol’ greasy ground beef, rice and refried beans sweeten the deal.

Toppings of grated cheddar cheese, strips of iceberg lettuce, chopped ruby tomatoes, diced white onion, jalapenos, and sour cream were kept nice and cold.

Enveloping white flour tortillas held shredded chicken and cheese.

Chili rellenos were cooked until the natural sugars in the peppers were released.

Choose between crispy hard shells or warm fluffy white flour tortillas.

Not authentic Mexican fare, but deserving of a B+ for price and food quality consistency.

[Lakewood El Toro, lunch buffet, Monday through Friday, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., $8.95, military $7.95, 12914 Pacific Highway S.W., Lakewood, 253.536.9735]

Shout Out: The Prom 2009

JENNIFER JOHNSON: THE HOTTEST SPOT NORTH OF HAVANA >>>

Last night red, yellow and green lights, zigzagging streamers and paper palm trees transformed The Library at Sanford and Son into the tropical setting for The Prom, a night of dancing and cavorting in the name of charity. It was another successful year for this annual adult fundraising event benefiting CARS, Companion Animal Rescue Society. With “Copacabana” as the theme, partygoers sported all manner of island dress, Cuban linen suits, skimpy showgirl dresses and headpieces of glittery feathers, fruit, and shiny fabric.

Sadly arriving too late to catch band Si Si Si, I was blown away by Anthony Astrada and his band The Toughtimes. Blending blues, punk and surf rock, Astrada worked the crowd as a true showman would.

Later DJ Infinity taught the crowd of flush-faced revelers a 4-step shuffle. Hilarity unfolded. Grinning, laughing and clapping along, even people that swear they don’t dance were caught up by the energy and did a little sashaying.

I took mini-breaks from dancing in the Copa-Feel lounge with delicious teas from Mad Hat Tea Company, icy cold beers, glasses of wines and tasty hor d'oeuvres.

After the king and queen were crowned, the raffle tickets drawn, and my picture taken prom-style, I ended the evening sipping handcrafted martinis at 1022 Lounge.

More Prom photos are at the Photo Hot Spot.

Photography by Steve Dunkelberger